The International Space Station is old and leaky. Should it be withdrawn sooner rather than later?
Imagine living in a house with smooth walls 2.54 mm thick. On the other side of your walls is certain death.
Now imagine that there is a crack in the outside wall of your living room, which is being sucked in by oxygen. And you can’t fix it. Sounds pretty scary, doesn’t it?
But that’s exactly what was happening on the International Space Station (ISS). Many years.
Escape warning
Most recently, on June 5, five of the seven astronauts aboard the ISS were advised to take shelter in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule due to persistent leaks that Russian astronauts were trying to fix.
News of NASA’s shelter orders made for some pretty good horror headlines. “NASA instructs astronauts to evacuate as space station air leak worsens,” was the headline on NBC News. A CBC News headline reads, “NASA orders International Space Station astronauts to shelter in place, prepare to evacuate due to air leak.”
Now, the very word “coming out” evokes a feeling of fear for life. But you wouldn’t know it by listening to NASA’s live feed on YouTube.
“It’s all USOS [US Orbital Segment] crew members need to do … Emergency Procedure 3.4: Crew Dragon, establish a Safe Haven,” NASA’s mission controller broadcast to the team. “If we need [you] to agree, we will do that when we are inside the Beast.”
A recent air leak at the International Space Station has astronauts preparing to evacuate. Former NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, who was on the ISS when a similar leak was first discovered in 2020, breaks down emergency procedures and how astronauts react to safety opportunities in orbit.
There is no panic. Just simple instructions.
Perhaps the reason is because those leaks have been going on for years.
In fact, the reason they were told to take refuge in the Dragon was because the astronauts were making another attempt to repair it. And, as NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens wrote in X, they were advising astronauts “out of an abundance of caution.”
The transmission tunnel of the Zvezda service module, known as PrK, has suffered from cracks and leaks for some time, and has been minimized by Roscosmos as far as possible. Cracks have always been a concern that NASA is watching closely. NASA and Roscosmos have been working…
—NASpox
Beyond its actual lifespan
The first part, the Russian Zarya, was launched in 1998, followed by the US part, Unity, and later the Russian Zvezda. From 2000 onwards, there has been a continuous presence on the channel.
Originally, the ISS had a lifespan of 15 years, but it has far exceeded that and is showing its age.
But that doesn’t mean it’s done.
“NASA faces increasing risks to sustaining ISS operations through 2030. Continued cracks and air leaks in the Service Module Transfer Tunnel pose a high safety risk,” a 2024 report from the Office of the Inspector General found.
It also explained that NASA and Roscosmos have been working together to reduce the cracks that appeared since 2019, although they are not sure why the cracks formed.
But the channel exists in very difficult places. And that part was the first one introduced.
“It orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, half in darkness and half in light,” said space historian Chris Gainor. “And it’s not just the amount of sunlight; there’s the type of temperature and everything else, and that ends things.”
To deal with the ongoing leak — which was at its worst a month or so before the latest incident — astronauts sealed off the area and reduced the air pressure, helping to delay it. But they can’t close it completely because it leads to one of the entrances.
And that may be another reason for cracks.
“You roll over and put loads on it when the spacecraft docks or undocks,” Gainor said.
NASA has announced that Expedition 75, the next crew to the International Space Station, will include Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk. Kutryk, NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov will spend several months aboard the ISS.
Despite its age and wear and tear, the life of the ISS has been extended to 2030, and NASA has said it is looking for another station before it is decommissioned. There are several private companies operating their own space stations, including commercial space company Axiom, which has conducted private missions to the ISS, one of which includes Canada’s Mark Pathy in 2022.
Although NASA says the leak is a serious risk to the station, they seem confident that it is safe for their astronauts. And they have procedures in place – as evidenced on June 5 – if an evacuation is required.
Currently, this station is doing its job in protecting astronauts. Sure, it’s had its share of problems, like ammonia leaks, near-misses with space debris and computer failures, but considering it’s so far past its prime, it’s never experienced anything bad enough to warrant a release. Astronauts from the US, Russia, Europe and Canada continue to conduct scientific experiments and develop technology.
And both NASA and Roscosmos have been keeping a close eye on the leak.
“I think 2030 is the right time. You know, it’s not that far away,” Gainor said.
“I think they’re actually doing pretty well if this is the biggest problem they have.”
This is good news for Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, who will be launched to the ISS before September.
